The present invention relates to a homogenization stirrer with a rotor and a stator between which there is a rubbing gap, the rotor being rotatable in relation to the stator for sucking a medium axially from one side, homogenizing it in the rubbing gap, and thrusting it out axially towards the opposite side through passages provided in the stator.
Homogenization stirrers of this kind are already known and are used, for example, in the production of emulsions. It may be desirable in such stirrers to adjust the intensity of the processing depending upon the composition of the medium. It would also be advantageous in some instances to adapt the stirrer to the viscosity of the medium, which may vary in the course of the homogenization. It has already been proposed, for this purpose, to axially displace the rotor and the stator of a homogenization stirrer in relation to one another for varying the width of the rubbing gap. It has been found, however, that by varying the width of the rubbing gap alone it is possible to adjust the intensity of the processing or to adapt the stirrer to the viscosity only in a very limited range. If the width of the rubbing gap is made too narrow then an excessive heating of the medium in the rubbing gap will be experienced which may damage certain substances in the medium.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a homogenization stirrer which will be adaptable in a wide range, and without danger of thermal damaging of the materials, to the desired intensity for the treatment and to the viscosity of the medium, even enabling it to be adapted during actual operation to the changes taking place in the viscosity and homogeneity of the medium in the course of the processing.